- By Zoe Kleinman, Technology Editor, and Sean Seddon
- BBC news
Deadly robots that can climb trees, AI friends and a jobless future were among the topics that Rishi Sunak sat down with Elon Musk.
At the end of this week’s summit on artificial intelligence, the Prime Minister held a highly unusual “in conversation” event with billionaire X and the owner of Tesla.
Throughout the wide-ranging and engaging debate, Mr. Musk held court as the prime minister who asked most of the questions.
The pair discussed how London is a leading hub for the AI industry and how the technology could revolutionize learning.
But the chat also took darker paths, with Mr Sonak noting people’s “anxiety” about replacing jobs, and the pair agreeing on the need for an “arbitrator” to oversee future supercomputers.
Mr Musk, the tech investor and inventor, has put money into artificial intelligence companies and used the technology in his Tesla driverless cars – but he has also spoken about his fears that it could threaten society and human existence.
“There’s a safety concern, especially with humanoid robots — at least a car can’t chase you into a building or up a tree,” he told the audience.
Mr Sunak – who is keen to see investment in Britain’s growing tech industry – replied: “You don’t sell that.”
It’s not every day you see a prime minister interview a businessman like this, but Mr. Sunak seemed happy to host his famous guest.
And if he seemed to enjoy it, it’s no wonder—he used to live in California, home of Silicon Valley, and his love of all things tech is well-documented.
In a room this large, Mr Musk was hard to hear and pondered the future, but refrained from making any comments that might embarrass Downing Street.
The event was held in front of invited guests from the tech industry in a luxurious ballroom in the center of London’s Lancaster House.
Unusually for an event attended by the Prime Minister, television cameras were not allowed in, instead Downing Street released its own footage.
Some reporters were allowed to observe – but were told they could not ask questions.
The pair discussed the potential benefits of AI, with Mr Musk saying: “One of my sons has trouble making friends and an AI friend would be perfect for him.”
There was also agreement on the possibilities AI offers for young people’s learning, with Mr Musk saying it can be “the best and most patient teacher”.
But there was a serious warning about its potentially damaging impact on traditional businesses.
“We see here the most destructive force in history,” Mr. Musk said before speculating.
“This is both good and bad – one of the challenges of the future is how to find meaning in life.”
Amidst all the philosophizing, there were few new announcements about how the technology would be deployed and regulated in the UK – apart from the Prime Minister’s promise that AI could be used to improve the government’s own website.
Mr Musk was one of the star guests at this week’s summit – but it briefly looked like the event with Mr Sunak might be overshadowed.
A few hours before the start, Mr. Musk took to his website X, formerly known as Twitter, to take a jab at the summit.
While Mr Sunak was holding his final press conference at Bletchley Park, Mr Musk has been shared A cartoon parodying the “AI Safety Summit”.
It featured caricatures of the UK, EU, China and the US with speech bubbles reading: “We declare that artificial intelligence poses a potentially catastrophic risk to humanity” – while their thought bubbles read “And I can’t wait to develop it.”
image source, EPA-EFE-/REX/Shutterstock
But in the end, the pair seem comfortable together, with Mr Sunak looking particularly in his element – perhaps even a little overwhelmed by the controversial billionaire, whom he calls a “brilliant innovator and technologist”.
From the cheap seats behind the tech giants, it was hard to put a finger on who was the truly powerful of the pair.
Was it Mr. Sunak questioning the famous tech billionaire? Or was it Mr. Musk who did most of the talking?
Either way, both men hope to have something to say about what the future of artificial intelligence has in store for us.
Additional reporting by Tom Gerken
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Image Source : www.bbc.com